


When a man has nothing to lose

by Orange (blake_gunnels)



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Angst, Family Dynamics, Sleepy Bois Inc Angst, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Winged Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Winged Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Winged TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Winged Wilbur Soot, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29913981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blake_gunnels/pseuds/Orange
Summary: Philza and his sons were known for many things. Beyond being great warriors and leaders, beloved by many and feared by more, they also shared one thing in common, an identifier. They all had wings, big and beautiful. A shimmering white and a pale yellow, a deep burgundy, and a brighter, flamelike red. Each had their own unique set that tied them back to one another. A family trait.However, the one other thing they all had in common, was the eventual loss of their wings.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	When a man has nothing to lose

**Author's Note:**

> credit to @VILB4R on twitter / @frobne on ao3 for the idea

Philza and his sons were known for many things. Beyond being great warriors and leaders, beloved by many and feared by more, they also shared one thing in common, an identifier. They all had wings, big and beautiful. A shimmering white and a pale yellow, a deep burgundy, and a brighter, flamelike red. Each had their own unique set that tied them back to one another. A family trait.  
However, the one other thing they all had in common, was the eventual loss of their wings.  
First was Philza. It was soon after he joined the Dream SMP, hopeful to change something, only to watch his sons fight and die for their causes. Standing in that cold dark room, with lyrics to a once joyful song scratched onto the hard stone walls, Phil couldn't keep his head on straight. A million thoughts ran through his head, and he couldn't think clearly. Trying his best to keep the situation calm while convincing his son not to do something he had his heart set on. When Wilbur pressed that button, Phil's first and only instinct was to protect his son. As he lunged forward to grab the boy, his wings naturally wrapped around the two, shielding them from the blasts that surrounded them. In a moment, Phil's wings, once a bright brilliant white that seemed almost blue in the right light, were charred black and rendered unusable. The pain arrived so quickly that he didn't notice it at first. Only after attempting to move them away from his son did he realize what had happened. The pain slowly burned through him, seemingly coming from the two spots on his back where the white feathers met pale skin. Wilbur too caught up in the joy of what he had just accomplished, failed to notice Phil's state until he turned back, begging his father to do the hardest thing Phil would do in his life. After a moment, Phil sat there, holding his dying son in his arms, the same son he had just killed, the same son he had worked to protect. Wilbur's dying words, a final warning against his twin's plans, hung in the air and rang through Phil's head. As he regained his strength and left to help the others, he watched as his son's body disappeared, Wilbur respawning somewhere far away. He watched as everyone else stared at him, before turning to the side as someone began to speak. Phil moved through the rest of the day in a blur, subconsciously aware of what happened. As time passed, the pain, both physically and emotionally, dulled, but never truly subsided. His wings never healed, despite many various attempts and remedies to heal them, they remained a cold reminder of what Phil had experienced. Despite everyone around him saying to just cut them off and end the suffering, he refused to. Whether due to his pride or selfish foolishness, Phil believed that he could fix his wings when deep down he knew that they were truly gone forever.  
Soon after followed Wilbur, losing his wings in quite unusual circumstances. Due to the nature of the server, no one really understood how death worked and just had to believe what Ghostbur told them from his experience. Wilbur wasn't hurt badly in the explosion, as Phil had jumped to protect him. But once the calm had settled and Wilbur began to beg for his own death, he realized what had happened to Phil, because of him. Perhaps it was out of subconscious guilt, or maybe just a cruel trick of the universe trying to teach him a lesson. But when Wilbur reawoke, this time as Ghostbur, he could feel that something was missing. Of course he couldn't remember much (he wasn't sure why everyone was acting so odd around him), but Tommy informed Ghostbur that he used to have wings, just like the younger boy. They were a pale yellow, almost white, with flecks of gold throughout that shimmered like stars in the sky. He could still feel the two large scars on his back where they had been, matching the scar that tore through his chest, given to him in Wilbur's final moments. Ghostbur was saddened by the loss of his wings and found it ironic that as a human he could fly, but not as a ghost. Wasn't that just a silly thought?  
Third was Technoblade. With the amount of conflict Techno had seen in his life, it was a miracle he had kept his wings for this long. They had aided him well during the Antarctic Empire, both in actually flying around while conquering the earth and in keeping warm when their cloaks just didn't cut it. When Techno arrived in Pogtopia to aid his brothers, it was immediately obvious to anyone with half a brain the hybrid's relation to Wilbur and Tommy. His deep red, almost maroon wings gave a nice contrast to the fire red of the youngest brother's wings. The gold of Techno's crown and the red of his gown matched well with his wings, not to mention the golden streaks running through some of his feathers connected him to his twin. Techno always held his wings in great regard, taking good care of them and maintaining a put-together image. He had never felt as much pride in them as when he would work together with his father, in whatever they were doing. whether it be conquering nations or building a home together, he felt that connection.  
Of course this couldn't last forever. After the fall of L'manburg and Wilbur's death, Techno left to live in a snow biome alone. Retirement, he called it. Obviously, the remaining citizens of the once-great nation had different plans. When the supposed butcher army showed up at his base, Techno wasn't too worried. They were mostly just angry kids, right? In all honesty, he was more worried for Phil, who had been put under house arrest back in L'manburg. Only when Quackity had threatened Carl did Techno begin to think something bad may actually come out of this interaction. So he carefully tucked his wings behind him and sat in that small cramped boat for the trip back to L'manburg. The place he was so glad to see gone, a place that Techno didn't have much associated with, except corruption and pain. When they stripped him of all he owned and stuck him in that cage, Techno could see the fear on Phil's face. Watching from his balcony nearby, the man wished he could do something to help his son and closest ally.  
Techno might have been worried, but he wasn't scared. He was a smart man and he always had a backup plan, a second option. After all, Technoblade never dies, right? So, hidden from the eyes of his enemies, (could he call them his enemies? They were his allies once, family even.) Techno pulled out a totem of undying, arguably one of the most powerful objects on the server. As the anvil came crashing down, Techno threw the totem at his feet and prayed to a God he didn't believe in. For a split second, Techno could feel the anvil, cold metal meeting his back until the weight seemed to pass right through him as the warmth from the totem overtook all sensation. It almost felt like a fire burning around him, fully enveloping him in its flames. Phil had explained to Techno before how totems worked and, rather than just preventing death as he assumed, they just bring you back to life quickly without the repercussions of actually dying. Despite this, you would still feel much of the pain of death before the totem's effects kicked in. Techno understood this now, but what he hadn't considered was how much it would hurt. The fire burned deep within him and felt as though it was slowly spreading outwards, tearing through his body, reaching the tips of his limbs, and running through his wings.  
The golden statue exploded into green light, with little flecks of magic floating around the hybrid. Having regained his strength for a moment, he jumped on top of the anvil that had nearly caused his demise and ran away from L'manburg. Running past the Camarvan, he saw Dream standing by the water with Carl. Techno tried to talk to Dream, to figure out what he was doing, but Dream remained silent, pointing down a carved hall in the side of the hill. Techno could still hear the L'manburgians' panic behind him and turned to run further into the hill. He stopped in a room, walls lined with blackstone and chests around the perimeter of the room. Upon further inspection, he found that one chest had his name on it, and was filled with some basic supplies. Most importantly, a netherite pickaxe that would have to suffice as a weapon until Techno could get his back from Tubbo. Techno began mining the tunnel that led to the city's sewers, knowing that Carl wouldn't be able to fit through the gap already present. Fully running on adrenaline, he was too focused on the task at hand to notice someone approaching behind him. Quackity seemed mostly confused and slightly afraid of fighting Techoblade alone. Finally taking a moment to breathe, Techno begins to tell Quackity all that was on his mind, about how naïve they were to believe they could kill him that easily. He only stops when he notices Quackity staring behind him, seemingly not listening to Techno. Finally, Quackity points out what Techno was yet to notice "Techno, what happened to your wings?" Without thinking, Techno moved to bend his wings in front of him to inspect them, only to find that he couldn't move them much without an intense pain tearing through his back. Cringing, he turned to see his wings had been burnt to a crisp. Something must have happened when he used the totem, and the universe seemed to have decided to punish his hubris. Remembering where he was, he turned back to Quackity, stating that his wings were none of his business, and preparing to fight the man who stood before him.  
It was only later, once Techno had made the journey back to his home, did he asses the damage done to his body by the totem. A few bruises and burns around on his chest and back, but most of the damage was centered around his wings. The once beautiful red wings that had served him so well were now nothing more than charred remains of what they once were. Techno recognized this kind of damage, the same had happened to his father when L'manburg blew up. And he knew as well as his father that this was irreversible.  
Finally was Tommy, the youngest of the group. Tommy's wings were a perfect reflection of his personality. Big, beautiful, larger than life, red wings that flap wildly when he was angry or excited. Red wings that Tubbo ran his fingers along when he got anxious or frightened. Red wings of many shades, the feathers getting lighter toward the edges. They were like his family's wings, but entirely his own. Or so he thought. Throughout Tommy's time on the server, he had been betrayed by each member of his family, some multiple times. When his father and brother sided with Dream, the man Tommy knew he couldn't trust, he had finally lost all hope in them. Tommy had to watch as they reduced his home, the place he had worked so hard to build and protect, to nothing more than a smoldering crater in the ground. And his wings, once a symbol of freedom and individuality, just reminded him of the people he thought he could trust. The people he thought were his family. When Tommy asked Eret to help clip his wings, Eret sounded unsure. Tommy wasn’t sure why he turned to Eret, and yet he found himself breaking down and told the man he once considered a traitor about his family, and how he obviously wasn't good enough for them. So, on a gray day that fit the mood of the occasion, Eret agreed to help Tommy. His wings were clipped, bright red scars left in their place. The pain was worse than anything he'd ever felt before. Worse than finding out that your own father doesn't care about you, worse than seeing your brothers betray you and destroy your home. Worse than watching one of them die right before your eyes. Almost worse than dying himself. But still so worth it to be rid of the weight he had carried on his shoulders.


End file.
